Combined tack-driver and carpet-stretcher.



N0. 7l7,040. Patented Dec. 30, I902.

E. SMITH.

COMBINED TACK DRIVER AND CARPET STRETGHER.

(Application filed Sept. 25, 1901.)

(No Model.)

n4: Norms FEVER; w, nuormrruo. wunwmovu 0 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD SMITH, OF AROOLA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'IO PHILIP M.BAY, OF AROOLA, ILLINOIS.

COMBINED TACK-DRIVER AND CARPET-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 717,040, dated December30, 1902,

Application filed September 25,1901. Serial No. 76,545. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Arcola, in the county of Douglas and State of Illinois, 5have invented a new and useful Combined Tack-Driver andCarpet-Stretcher, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in devices employed for thestretching I of carpets and the driving of securing-tacks therein, andhas for its object to provide an improved device of this class by whichthe carpet may be more effectively stretched.

A further object is to provide an improved I device of the class inwhich the tacks may be accurately fed one by one from a magazine to adriving-point and delivered at thedriving-point in proper positionbeneath a hammer-rod.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novelconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter described,illustratedin the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in theappended claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of acombined tack-driver and carpet-stretcher constructed and arranged inaccordance .with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of the lower portion of thesame.

elevation of the same. Fig. 4B is a sectional plan view of the device onthe-line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similar view on theline 5 5 of Fig.3. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View of the slide for governingthedischarge of tacks from the magazine. 7

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe various figures of the drawings.

10 designates a standard or operating-handle of convenient length to begrasped and operated by a person standing in an erect position. Securedto the lower end of the standard is a tack-guiding hopper 11,terminating at its lower end in a comparatively sharp operating-toe 12,which is adapted to engage the floor of the room to assist in stretchingthe carpet. These two parts are strongly and rigidly secured together,so that considerable force may be exerted without strain or break- Fig.3 is a front age. At the sides of the hopper are ears 13, to which arepivoted one end of a pair of links 14, the lower ends of which areconnected pivotally to a foot-piece 15, as shown in Fig. 1. At theforward end of the foot-piece is ashoe 16, having in its forward face anotch or recess for the reception of the lower end of the hopper, and onthe under side of this shoe are a seriesof carpet-engaging teeth 17, thesharpened engaging ends of which are bent forwardly in order to morefirmly grip the carpet. The shoe is provided with a socket 18 for thereception of the end of the footpiece, so that a single screw, as 19, isall that is necessary tobind the parts together. At the sides of theshoe are upwardly-projecting spring-wire fingers 20, having hooked ends21, adapted to pass over the links 14 and prevent excessive movement ofthe foot-piece. 7o

At the same time these fingers are adapted .to frictionally embrace thesides of the operating-handle when the foot-piece is folded up flatagainst said handle, sothat the parts may be held in inoperativeposition when desired. At the bottom of the magazine 22, which is in theform of an elongated chute, is placed, a slide 23, substantiallyrectangular in form and having its rear face guided in a slot 24:,

in which slot it is held by the rear face of the So magazine.

The forward face of the slide is provided with a slot extending at anangle of thirty degrees tothe vertical lineof the magazine and soarranged that its open upper end will normally be in line with theopenslot of the magazine and will receive therefrom the lowermost of thetacks. One wall of the slide will at all times extend across themagazineslot and prevent the escape of a tack or tacks until the actionof the hammer-rod, the move- 0 hopper and there held between the lowerportion of the hopper and a small plate-spring 27 and in position to beengaged by the lower end of the hammer-rod 28. The hammer-rod 28 isguided within a suitable opening extending through the handle and at itsupper end is provided with a suitable operat-' there provided with acam-shaped end 34,

' the foot-piece 15.

adapted to pass through an opening 35 in the handle and to be engaged bythe hammerrod. When the operating-knob of the hammer-rod has beenwithdrawn to a distance sufficient to elevate the lower end of thehammer-rod above the cam 35, the passage of the hammer-rod from contactwith said cam will cause a movement of the operating-slide 23 to theposition shown in Fig. 3, permitting the tack, which has been held inthe inclined slot of said slide, to fall from the magazine into properposition'at the lower end of the hopper 11'. -On the downward movementof the hammer-rod the engagement of its lower end with the cam 35 willoperate, through the arm 30, to move the governing-slide to the positionshown by full lines in Fig. 6 and by dotted lines in Fig. 3, permittingthe next lowermost tack in the magazine to enter said slot in readinessto be discharged on the next movement of the slide. The hammer-rod isdriven down with sufficient force to drive the tack from contact withthe holding-spring 27, so that the device may be readily moved to a newposition.

In operation the teeth 17 are engaged at the edge of the carpet by thepressure of the foot on The upper end of the operating-handle 10 ismoved rearwardly to any desired extent, so as to cause a separation ofthe toe 12 and the shoe 16, the toe 12 being firmly pressed against thefloor. The operator then moves the handle in a forward direction, thetoe 12 forming a fulcrum-point and the shoe 16 stretching the carpettoward said toe. Several successive movements may be made before a tackis driven, the carpet being held in the stretched position by the weightof the operator until fully stretched, after which a tack may be drivenby the hammerrod. The action may be reversed when desired and the teeth17 be engaged in the floor, while the toe 12 engages in the carpet.

Various modifications in the form and proportions of the device hereindescribed may be made within the scope of the claims without departingfrom the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- I In a device ofthe class specified, the combination of the operating-handle 10, ahammerrod guided in said handle, a stationary tackhopper carried by thelower portion of the handle and havinga guiding-opening for thereception of the lower portion of the hammerrod, said hopper beingprovided near its upper end with a substantially horizontal shoulder forengaging and turning the tacks fed thereto, a spring carried by the rearportion of the hopper and adapted to engage and hold the tacks inposition below the hammer-rod, a stationary slotted tack-magazinesecured to the front of the handle and terminating at a point slightlyabove the shoulder, a guiding groove disposed in the handle at a pointto the rear of the magazine, a horizontally-reciprocating slide fittingaround said magazine and having its rear face adapted to fit within saidguiding-groove, the front portion of said slide being provided with aninclined slot disposed between the lower end of the magazine and thetack-engaging shoulder for governing the discharge of tacks from themagazine, a pivoted lever carried by the handle and having one end inengagement with said reciprocating slide and provided at its oppositeend with a cam projecting through an opening in the side of the handle,said handle forming a stop for limiting the extent of movement of thelever and slide in one direction and a spring normally tending toforcethe cam end of said lever toward the side of the handle, substantiallyas specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD SMITH.

